1906.] DEVELOPMENT OF POULTRY. 153 



the hatching at the beginning of winter and rearing during the 

 cold months without much care and protection. As an example 

 of this, the writer, within the space of six years, reduced 

 through nine generations Dark Brahmas to Dark Brahma Ban- 

 tams that were shown within the standard weight. These were 

 all built up or created through the selection of the smallest fe- 

 males and then reduced in size under the influence of rearing 

 the young during the winter months. This entire family was 

 disposed of, and within four years from the time of their pass- 

 ing into other hands, we scarcely think there can be one de- 

 scendant found from that family that could go into the show- 

 room at maturity and weigh in under standard weight. The 

 dwarfing through unnatural methods does not prove anything 

 for or against the early or original creation of the ancestors. 



Many years ago the breeders of Leghorns said their fowls 

 were too small, and they introduced the Minorca blood. Soon 

 they began to learn to use only hens in their second year, and 

 the largest they could get, and thus they began to increase grad- 

 ually the size of the fowls. As you increase the size of the bird 

 you increase the size of the egg. 



Following along in recent or modern history of poultry, 

 the first great event in this country was the production of the 

 Light Brahma. Following this came the Leghorns, a breed 

 which came into the possession of a gentleman of White Plains, 

 N. Y., from a vessel lying at anchor in New York harbor ; 

 when they came he recorded the fact that these White Leg- 

 horns had white shanks and beaks. That fact led many of us 

 to believe that the original Leghorn was a White Minorca. 

 All of the European poultry, the Polands, the Hamburgs. and 

 the Leghorns, are the producers of white shelled eggs. Every 

 bit of poultry that we have that is in any way tainted with 

 Asiatic blood, produces eggs having a brown shell. If you 

 will remember that distinction, you will find that in European 

 poultry, Polish, Hamburgs, Leghorns, and Minorcas, all of 

 these produce eggs with a white shell. On the other hand, the 

 Asiatic family, including the Langshans, Malays, Cochins, and 

 the Brahmas, all belong to the class of fowls that produce 

 brown shelled eggs. When you intermingle either of these 

 you never get aught but a tinted colored shell. There is no 

 blood so strong in the whole poultry fraternity as the blood of 

 the Asiatic fowl. Our Plymouth Rocks, Wyandottes, and the 



